


What If

by fromneptune



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Bc it's work, Carnival, Costumes, Fluff, Furi is akashis only weakness, Grim Reapers, High School, I don't really go past them meeting, Inspired By Tumblr, M/M, Middle School, One Shot Collection, Police, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-06-01 21:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6536098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromneptune/pseuds/fromneptune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some small AUs in which Furihata and Akashi meet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Carnival

**Author's Note:**

> I really lowkey ship these guys, it's kind of the only pairing I actually ship in KnB (aside from aomine and momoi).

Furi was lost. He didn't have a map, or an idea, of where the Ferris wheel was. Did he even need to go anymore? The girl he came with openly ditched him for some other guys she saw heading for a roller coaster (Furi had been trying to avoid the roller coasters because he was afraid). He had planned on going with her on the Ferris wheel last. It was what he was most excited for—seeing the people below get smaller and smaller as you go up, feeling like you're floating...these were the things he loved.

Although he didn't feel like going anymore, somehow his feet still brought him there. While he was on the line, he looked down the whole time, so when he looked up and saw a strangely handsome guy with bright red hair, he almost forgot to speak.

The guy standing in front of him, wearing a blue uniform, was staring at him with one red eye and one golden eye. It fascinated Furi. He stared at them, not yet realizing that he was.

"Um...Sir, are you getting on?" he said. Even his voice was as gentle and soft as his face.

Furi wasn't interested in men, but quickly he realized that he was staring for a little too long. "Oh, uh. I don't know yet." He stepped aside to let the people behind him go. He asked, "Sorry, but are they real?"

"My eyes? Yeah."

"They're beautiful."

The employee seemed surprised to hear that, as if he hadn't heard that in a long time. "Thanks."

Only a few seconds later did Furi feel embarrassed by what he said. As he watched happy couples hop on the Ferris wheel, he wanted to go on, but not alone.

"There's nothing wrong with going on it alone," the employee said to him.

"Did I say that out loud?"

He smiled. "Kind of. I read your facial expression. Plus you  _are_ alone."

Furi looked at his blue shirt and saw his name tag, "Akashi?"

"Hmm? Oh, Akashi Seijuurou. That's my name. You?"

"Furihata Kouki. Your name makes more sense. With your red hair and all."

"Yeah. But really, what's wrong with you? Are you getting on this thing or not?"

"Cut me some slack! The girl I came with abandoned me..." Furi immediately felt the lifelessness and sadness he was feeling earlier.

Akashi noticed this and said, "I'll tell you what: how about I give you free rides until you feel better?"

"Really?! But I don't want to go alone."

"Just go," Akashi shoved him inside the car that was just coming down.

So Furi went. And he loved it. He loved the floating feeling, seeing the tops of the other rides, and how colorful a local carnival could be. He didn't want it to end. As he came down, he immediately spoke about it to Akashi. He'd just met the guy, but he felt really comfortable talking to him.

"I'm glad you liked it so much, but I kind of hope that's it because I can get in trouble for doing this..."

Furi shook his head. After three more rides, he finally came out.

Akashi said, "Now are you done?"

"No, one more time. But I want you to come with me." Furi tugged at his arm.

"Me?" he pointed at himself. "A random guy you've only known for an hour?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Really, what's wrong with you? I'm going to get fired."

"Just come. I want to talk with you more."

Akashi complied, and they went on the Ferris wheel together. Someone else took charge of the line. As they elevated, they saw the sunset. It was almost closing time.

Now, Akashi didn't say so, but while Furi thought his eyes were beautiful, he thought from the start that Furi was unusually cute.


	2. Neighbors

Akashi was having a pretty hard day. He was late to work, because he went back to sleep after hearing his alarm. His boss yelled at him in front of everyone. He had to work overtime as a result, and hardly has any food at home. Plus his boyfriend dumped him yesterday.

So at around nine when he heard a familiar song playing next door, he was slightly more than angry. However, as the song continued, he laughed. He knew where it was from. Still, is gave him a headache, so he looked outside his window to see what exactly was happening in the house next to his.

And when he saw a guy holding a whisk to his lips, dancing oddly to the music, he laughed harder. He grabbed his keys and left, not to stop the man, but ask him what the hell he was doing.

Suddenly that song ended, and another began. The man mouthed different words and illustrated a different collection of moves.

He rang the doorbell. Immediately the music stopped, and Akashi now saw this weird guy up close. He was taken aback, as he first wondered why he hadn't met this neighbor sooner. He had messy light brown hair and small, nervous eyes. He might be plain to a normal person, but Akashi could testify that he wasn't normal. Something about this guy was cute. Something...

"Y-yes? You live next door, right?"

"I do. My name is Akashi Seijuurou."

"I'm Furihata Kouki. So um, what do you want?"

Truthfully, Akashi wanted to continue laughing as he had been. But he said, "I want to let you know that you have a nice taste in music. I like _Yu Yu Hakusho_ 's opening as well. And, what was the second one?  _One Piece_?"

Furi's face turned pale. "You heard?"

"I think the entire block heard. But I'm the only one with the balls to tell you I did. And I saw you dancing through the window. Sorry."

"That was a horrible first impression, huh? A grown man dancing to anime openings."

"It's weird, yeah. But honestly, it just means that you're still a kid inside. I think that's fine. And you totally made my day. So thank you for embarrassing yourself."

Furi smiled, and Akashi's heart sunk. He was suddenly very glad to be single. "Well, I'm glad one if us is happy. Say...do you want to come inside for some tea? I have leftover yakisoba as well."

For Akashi, the food was just as tempting as Furi himself. "Sure. And if you have any _Inuyasha_ openings, that'd be cool too."


	3. Bathroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another embarrassing situation for Furi...

It was a normal day at a normal family fast food restaurant with his high school friends. The sun was out, the wind was sharp, and the city was busy. All these things were a part of a normal day for Akashi. However, at the moment, everything deviated from normal. He was stuck in the most awkward predicament ever. He had walked in on a boy in the bathroom. Of course he had knocked first, but he heard nothing, so he figured it was empty.

But this dangerous line of thinking put him in this current situation. The boy was sitting on the toilet seat, his face buried in his hands. He was hiccupping and wiping his eyes when he noticed the door was open, and looked up at Akashi in fear. His lower half was then very evident to Akashi, and his face turned as red as his hair. His heartbeat was fast and strong enough to run a marathon.

He closed the door shut after what felt like hours. A normal guy probably wouldn't have freaked out in this way, except if maybe the guy was interested in other guys.

Aside from the mental image ingrained into his mind, Akashi could not stop thinking about how the boy looked at him with tears in his eyes. He became curious about the brown-haired boy, and whenever he wanted to know something, he would always find a way to know. So he waited for the boy to come out, and when he did, he said to him, "You have toilet paper on your feet." Akashi tried not to smile, because the boy had been crying.

"You...you saw me!" he exclaimed, kicking away the toilet paper. "Why are you talking to me?"

"About that, I'm sorry. I couldn't tell if it was empty or not. You should have locked the door, though."

"Um, you didn't answer my question."

"Oh, well, I don't really know. I saw you crying and I want to know why."

"What? We're strangers."

"Not quite." Akashi pointed to Furi's school uniform. "We go to the same school, but I don't know why we've never talked."

"Maybe because I'm plain...and you're always surrounded by guys with weird hair colors."

"Plain? I like your beady eyes, though. And those guys are my best friends."

Furi backed away from Akashi, because the entire situation was weird and Akashi Seijuurou was _very_ weird. He had this impending feeling whenever he laid eyes on you, like you had to always look him in the eyes. It was as if he was always curious, always seeking, and not afraid of anything. Furi could tell all of this just by watching him at school, but this incident proved it further.

"Wait," Akashi said, "why were you crying?"

Of course, Furi had no obligation to tell this strange guy his feelings, especially since he was the cause of them. Yes, he was. Because although Furi thought Akashi was weird and intimidating and mysterious (and a little too perfect to be human), he only knew all of this because he watched him. He couldn't help but look at him, because one minute he would be looking out the window and the next he would be looking at the red-haired boy at the other end of the room. He didn't know him well, and he cried sometimes because he wanted to. He wanted to and never could. At least, he thought so.

"I cried...because I think I like someone and I doubt they'll like me back."

Akashi wondered about the person Furi liked. He wondered what kind of person they were if they didn't like him back. How couldn't they? He was cute, clumsy, and different from others. "If it's meant to be," he said, "sure they will. But if this person makes you cry again, I'll beat them up if you want."

Furi laughed, and Akashi felt accomplished. He liked Furi's smile, so he said exactly that. "You have a nice smile, _Furihata-kun_. I like it."

Suddenly, Furi saw a light in his darkness.


	4. Reaper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say all of these would be happy? Oops...

Furi sat on the clouds. He looked down at the earth below, and sighed. How he wished he could walk on that earth as well. He had been thinking, for a while, about humans, about how they were born and how they died, some young and some old. Each time, he would have to collect them from the realm of the living and bring them to the realm of the dead. And each time, he had done so without any problems. Because it was his job to do so. However this time was different, unbearably so.

"Furihata, it's time. You know your next job, right?" his friend Kuroko said to him.

"I know." Furi lowered his head.

"Will you be able to do it? I've seen the way you look at him."

"I have to, don't I?" He turned to Kuroko and smiled painfully. "Because it's my job."

Kuroko was surprised. "How are you able to make a face like that? We're not supposed to have emotions, yet you look like you're about to do what the humans do when they're sad. What's it called...crying...?"

"Well, I am sad. I don't want to take his life."

"You're not taking his _life_. He's already dead. You're taking his _soul_."

Without further conversation, Furi hopped down and flew to where he was. The cherry-haired boy was standing beside his limp body. He looked up and saw Furi, and was surprised. But then he smiled, and for Furi, everything felt like it stopped. "You're here to take me away, aren't you?"

"Yes..." Furi said.

"I was really sick, you know. I made my father cry a lot. I hadn't seen him cry that much since my mother died. I felt like I misunderstood him for a really long time. But now I can't even tell him these things."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? All you're doing is taking me away. I'm already gone."

"I'm sorry I can't help you."

"Reaper, why are you crying?"

Furi realized he was shedding tears. He, the undead, the inhuman, was showing emotion. "I watched you, Akashi Seijuurou. When I took your mother away, ever since then, I watched you. Your middle school days, your high school days, your job interviews. You were a fool." Furi felt something in his chest as he spoke. He couldn't understand it, but he thought that it might have been the thing makes humans cry, laugh and sometimes die. The thing that makes them want to live.

Akashi, who knew he was slowly fading from sight, smiled. "A fool? Me? Says the Reaper who's crying for a dead man."

What's that thing called, again?

Love?


	5. Costume

He was so sure it was a costume party. At least, that's what he heard from Kuroko. He only found out, after the fact, that those were not Kuroko's words. He hadn't even said anything similar to that. All he said was, "There's a party at my friend's house. I knew him from middle school."

Somehow, once Furi's brain processed the word "party," along with it was "costume" (even though Kuroko had also said that Furi should  _not_ wear a costume, and he said this because the last party they went to was a costume party).

This brings us to the time where this certain light-haired boy—whose eyes are small and limbs are always shaking—went to a party. He stood, surrounded by a crowd at this party because he was wearing a Batman costume. That day, he was shaking even more than usual because he was so embarrassed. As all those around him stared, he looked at the floor and wished for a hole to open up so that he could crawl into it.

He searched for Kuroko, but didn't know yet that he got a text from him saying he wouldn't be there because he caught a cold.

So Furi was alone. He was an alone Batman, in the corner, until he saw the wave of a hand in front of his eyes. "Hello? Earth to Batman?" said a low voice. Furi looked up and saw a tall boy with bright, strawberry red hair and strange eyes. He wore a gray hoodie, jeans and sandals. He seemed like a laid-back (but at the same time, intense) guy.

"Y-yeah?" he stumbled.

"You okay? You were spacing out."

"I'm fine.  _Clearly._ " Furi took off the mask and sighed. "This night has been the worst."

"Well," the boy said, "It could be worse. You could have died. Or I, I could die."

Furi was certain this boy was weird. A normal person wouldn't talk about death to a stranger so easily. "Right...," he said.

"I don't really want to know why you showed up in my house wearing a Batman costume, but I want to give you something to change into."

He felt even more embarrassed now that he knew he was talking to the party host. "I'm sorry! I just misunderstood my friend's words..."

"It's no big deal. Here, take this shirt and sweats." Oddly enough, the shirt was black with a yellow Batman logo.

"I guess you like Batman?" Furi asked.

"Sure." The host wouldn't tell Furi this until later on in their relationship, but he  _really_ liked Batman.

"Um, thanks for this. Oh, your name...?"

As he left the room, he said, "Akashi."

Furi put on Akashi's clothes, and immediately something strange came over him. Why was he allowing himself to put on a stranger's clothes? Why did this stranger's clothes feel so soft and comfortable? Why did it smell like strawberries? Why were they slightly too big?

Only the last question he could answer; Akashi was taller than him. He could not come up with a rational answer for everything else. Had he been enraptured by the mystery surrounding Akashi? Oh, he had.

All of these feelings only increased in intensity when Akashi came back inside to check up on him. He stopped at the doorway, and covered his mouth with his hands. It seemed that he didn't say anything close to what he almost did. "Are you better now?"

Furi nodded, not knowing how to _not_ be so shy. "Sure."

"Can you, um, help me clean up the second floor? It looks like a tornado hit. Oh, what's your name?"

"...You can call me Furi."

Furi didn't believe in fate, but this was the first time he was glad he did something stupid. He was glad he showed up at a stranger's house in a Batman costume.


	6. Bike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I love Furi so much... >:^)  
> but still, another embarrassing situation for him.

It wasn't that Furi liked biking. He'd just felt like taking a ride on a Saturday morning on his sister's bike. But there were two problems with this situation: he didn't know how to ride a bike, and it was his sister's bike (she was ten).

Really, he just wanted to try it out. He'd forgotten why he didn't like it. However, he soon remembered. Not long after he started to ride (uncomfortably so), he ran head-on into a street lamp. He fell off the bike and his nose bled.

 _This_ , he thought, _is why I didn’t like it_ (for he refused to admit that he was just clumsy).

He was glad no neighbors were around to see him fail miserably. Or, so he thought. He turned to see a tall man with apple red hair and snow white skin standing over him, smiling.

"What are you looking at?" Furi said, holding his nose.

"I'm looking at a really clumsy guy. I've just moved in a few houses down, and I thought about greeting some people, but..." The man looked down at Furi. Still smiling as if it was plastered on his face, he bent down and examined Furi's face.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm a doctor. I mean, I'm studying to be one. Let me see."

Furi lifted his head for this stranger. "I'm Furihata. You?"

"Akashi. But really, what's an adult like yourself doing trying to ride a bike fit for a ten-year old?" Akashi asked as he took out ointment and bandages.

"I was curious," Furi answered. He couldn't help but stare as Akashi patched him up. His eyes...were beautiful.

"You were stupid. Anyway, I'm done. I'd you'd collided with that lamp any harder, you would have broken your nose. So you're lucky." Akashi helped him up, still smiling.

Furi had to ask. "Seriously, why are you smiling like that? Ever since you looked at me..."

"Well, for one, there's bird feces on your shoulder."

Furi screamed. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" He started to run back home (with the bike).

However, he stopped when Akashi called out to him, "Furihata-kun! Do you want to go out for drinks tomorrow?"

Furi was reluctant, but he was curious about the story that lie behind his eyes. "Where should we meet?"

Akashi smiled more genuinely this time, as Furi almost lost himself in it. "How about...by the lamp?"


	7. I: Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part one of two: how they met for the second time.

Whenever Furi was extremely sad or upset, he went to the store to buy ice cream. He always went for the green tea flavor. This has been his routine ever since middle school, when he sat next to a cherry-haired boy who made him like ice cream.

And life had a strange way of bringing back the past.

"You...you're familiar." Akashi held a gallon of green tea ice cream in his hands, unaware that Furi was more so eyeing the dessert rather than an old friend.

"Um, the ice cream, are you going to buy it?" Furi said.

"Ah. So you _are_ Furihata. I'm Akashi. Remember?"

Of course Furi remembered. How could he forget the handsome face of a boy with two different eye colors? "I remember, I remember. I kind of had a crush on you so I followed you around."

"Right." Akashi smiled. "But since you're asking me about this, something must have happened. I thought you ate ice cream so much that you began to hate it, but I guess not."

Furi replied bluntly, "There are three things in this world I can never let go of. Basketball, dogs, and ice cream."

"Of course. Your quirkiness is why I liked you."

Suddenly it was as if they were back in middle school, with Furi sitting behind Akashi and them passing notes in class because otherwise they would fall asleep. And when lunch break came, Akashi would immediately turn around to talk to Furi. It was the latter who believed his feelings were better off not being known, but one way or another Akashi figured it out himself. What happened after that?

_Oh, right. He didn't say anything. Until now._

"Anyway," Akashi continued, "whatever happened to you that lead you here is none of my business. I can't let you have this ice cream."

Furi got into ninja mode (which was a normal fighting stance but to him adding ninja sounded cooler). "Look, I know I liked you and everything, and I hate that all of a sudden you're crammed into my life again, and I want to just run away, but I can't. Because I want that ice cream. I'm willing to fight you for it, Akashi." Furi did want to run, because nothing was more embarrassing than running into a guy you liked and almost kissed—after seven years.

Of course, Akashi knew he was bluffing and that he may have been willing but his shaking arms, legs and lips said otherwise.

"Furihata. There's an easier solution to this problem. And honestly, I've wanted to ask you this for years."

Furi saw it again. The past. The past he tried so hard to dismiss, to ignore, to forget. He felt like a fool and never wanted to see Akashi again. It was the day of the almost kiss in the storage closet, with the dim lights and the dust bunnies. It wasn't the most romantic situation, but it was both the worst and best day of Furi's life.

"What is it?"

"Why don't you just come over to my place so we can eat this together?"


	8. II: Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of two: how they met for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This would be in order if I didn't have the idea for a prequel for the previous chapter until after I posted it. *laughs dryly*

If someone were to put middle school into one word, it would be "puberty." Two words would be "losing friends." An entire sentence would be "the time when you crush on everyone and think you have superpowers to save the world (or destroy it)."

For Furihata Kouki, all of these for his school life perfectly. He knew who he had a crush on, but he hoped it wouldn't last. Instead, though, his feelings only get stronger.

It was the boy who sat in front of him in class, the boy with glaringly bright licorice red hair and heterochromia. That was probably the first thing that caught his attention. The eyes. They were eyes that seemed like they could know you with one look.

This boy was indifferent to almost everything. He slept in class but got pretty good grades, and he didn't hang out with anyone.

When they met, it wasn't on the first day of school. The boy showed up to school a week later. They had a long staring contest, and neither of them backed down. Furi was looking into his eyes and the boy was frowning at him in annoyance. After a few minutes the teacher gave them water buckets and told them to stand in the hall.

"Do my eyes bother you or something?" the boy asked.

"What? No, it's the opposite." Furi pointed to his eyes. "They're really cool. Um, you're the one who sits in front of me, right? Akashi. I'm Furihata."

"Yeah." Again, he frowned.

 ***

After that, Furi couldn't stop stealing glances at Akashi. He liked seeing him come in the morning with neat hair and a messy uniform. Inversely, Furi had messy hair and a neat uniform. He liked seeing the back of his head, even though he would end up falling asleep at one point.

And then, one day, Akashi asked him for a pencil. Even though he never gave it back, Furi was on clouds for him to have asked him something. Because he was so happy, he bought extra lunch in the cafeteria.

"I have another _yakisoba_ bread," he told Akashi. "Do you want it?"

"...Sure."

After that, Akashi started asking him about things in class. When lunch break came, he would turn around to talk to Furi. After school one day, Furi followed him to give him his school bag that he left behind, and saw him getting green tea ice cream.

Then, he saw him go into a CD store and pick up one of a rock bands he loved. Immediately he ran up to him and said, "Why didn't we meet each other sooner?"

"What? Were you following me?"

"I just...wanted to give you this." Furi shoved the bag to him and ran off. He'd never been so embarrassed before.

If things weren't already strange, in school Furi's usual friends started avoiding him because he was always with the gloomy kid Akashi.

"Are you going to leave me alone now?" he asked Furi.

"No," was all he said, and Akashi turned back around. Furi didn't see it then, but the boy sitting in front of him had ears as red as his hair.

***

"You know, my mom said I should stop eating ice cream," Furi said. It was after school hours and they were eating vanilla bars.

"Why?"

"Because she thinks I'll turn into it."

"Ha!" And for the first time, Furi heard Akashi laugh.

* * *

They spent summer vacation together and went to the beach. Furi was embarrassed to take off his shirt, but it was hot. Akashi had no qualms about doing so himself; consequently Furi stared (as he always did) at his body. He couldn't tell if it was hormones or what—he just knew that his heart was racing. The expression on Akashi's face as he looked at the waves was no longer one of indifference. He had a smile on his face. He turned to Furi and said, "Come over here already."

The defining day of their relationship was right before Christmas break, when they were passing notes during English. It was something they did when they were bored.

_Furi: I heard a girl confessed to you today._

_Aka: I know. I was there._

_Furi: What did you tell her?_

_Aka: Oh, you're interested?_

_Furi: No, I just want to know because things will be different if you get a girlfriend._

_Aka: Oh. I thought you were jealous or something._

Immediately after that, Furi crumpled the paper and threw it away. He was sweating in his palms because Akashi was completely right.

During lunch, Furi went to hide in the janitor's closet. Not long after, Akashi went inside as well.

"Why are you hiding?" he asked. "Unless I was right." Furi stayed silent. "You know, you can't lie."

This time he said something. "Really, what did you tell her?"

"That she needs a better guy because I'm a mess. Kind of like this closet. Dusty, dirty, unkempt. A mess. My mother...died when I was young. My father, from his grief probably, never gave me a choice with anything. He incessantly tried to make me his puppet. But you see, Furi, I'm a human being." While he spoke, Akashi’s eyes were lost. But then he looked at Furi.

Furi's body moved faster than his mind. He held Akashi’s face in his hands. "Well, I see you," he said. "I know who you are."

And then, as if the dust bunnies and smell of bleach were gone, their faces and thoughts drew closer. Their lips almost touched. Akashi pulled away at the last second and opened the door.

"Let's go," he said.

Evidently, those were his last words to Furi, because the next day he left with his father to Tokyo. Without a word or a message or a note, he was gone, as if he was never there to begin with.

Looking back at everything, Furi still didn't understand why he didn't tell him he was leaving. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to do a long distance thing. It was because I liked you that I didn't kiss you back then. It was so that I wouldn't start anything and then not be able to finish it. Please, believe me, Furi."

Furi heard him. He also probably believed him. His heart thumped against his chest painfully, and among the ice cream and beer, he cried. He cried in a sofa that smelled too much of Akashi. "You're the worst!" he said. "You could've at least kissed me!"

And that is what Akashi did. He kissed him, because he missed his chance seven years ago and because he had his chance now.

After seven years, things weren't the same. But no matter what, Akashi could not let Furi go again. So they kissed—for as long as seven years amounted to.


	9. Policeman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, drunk Furi...and Akashi as a policeman really suits him in my opinion. Also the next chapter is going to be the last one.

Furi's friends, Kuroko and Koganei, were determined to throw him the best birthday party ever. That meant lots of beer and loud music and hooking him up with potential love interests (meaning any girl they knew). He met a couple of girls named Riko and Momo, but they seemed to be disinterested. He got the idea when their respective boyfriends showed up.

To get him in the party mood, Koganei turned up the music until it was loud enough to be heard from outside.

"Turn it down!" Furi shouted. But somehow, that led to him getting drunk a few minutes later.

It wasn't long until the doorbell started ringing furiously. Furi wobbled to the door and opened it. "Hello? Who is this?" he hiccupped. "Oh, no, that's not right. I mean, nice to meet you—I mean, ah, what was it again?"

"You mean just 'hello.' You're answering the door, not the phone." The voice was deep and calm, like the ocean coming back to the sand.

"Right! Thank you." Furi looked up and saw the owner of that voice. He was a tall, built man with red hair and narrowed, colorful eyes. "You look like a video game character, you know? Has anyone ever told you that?"

"No, actually."

"My name is Furi. You?"

"Akashi. I'm a policeman."

Suddenly, Furi snapped back to reality. "Why—what is a policeman doing here?"

"I've received complaints about the noise level here." He looked inside and saw the banner on the wall that said  _HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FURI!!_ and continued, "I understand that it's your birthday, but please keep it down."

Furi saluted him. "Will do, officer."

"And maybe, try not to drink so much."

"...Will do, officer."

Akashi the officer smiled at him before turning away and leaving.

For some reason, even after his leave, Furi could not get him out of his head. The way he stood, the way his hair fell over his eyes, the way the uniform fit him. He couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or if it was his hormones. He wanted to see him again.

So, after an hour of agony, he took a small radio, a few beers, and two slices of the chocolate cake Kuroko bought. He took these things and left his own party in search of the policeman. He noticed a police car out front, and he recognized the red hair from afar. He knocked on the window with the beer.

"I don't know how sober I am, but do you want to talk? I brought a radio—and we can listen to it as low as you want. I have cake and beer, too. The cake is really good. I have to thank Kuroko later."

Akashi was surprised. He didn't understand the intention of this beady-eyed, half-sober person, but he _did_ want someone to talk to. Even if it was a guy who couldn't even distinguish greetings. "Um, I'm not really supposed to do this," he said, "but...hop in."


	10. Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think meeting your significant other at a wedding happens as much as it's portrayed, but still, this one was fun. This is the final chapter guys! Thanks for reading!

The bride was nowhere to be found. It was almost time for the ceremony, and Akashi had looked everywhere. Aomine had entrusted him to this one job, since he was the best man. He had to make sure Momoi wasn't going to run away. It was unlikely that she would, though, because she and Aomine had been together for years and knew each other since they were children. It was unlikely—until it actually happened.

As a last resort, he went to the women's room to check. He didn't have to open the door, though, because he finally spotted Momoi, sitting outside on the floor. She held her face in her hands and was crying. He sat down next to her. "Momo," he said, "what are you thinking about?"

"Daiki."

"What about him?"

"What if, when we do this thing, and it doesn't work out? What if we fight all the time and ruin the friendship we built for so many years? What if—"

Akashi stopped her, "What if...it ends up being the best decision you ever made? With him, you have the ability to raise a family. The two of you can be together for the rest of your lives. I doubt it's always going to be rose petals and cherry blossoms, but I think you will be happy. It's you and him _,_ after all."

"That's right. If it's me and Daiki, we can do anything."

"Exactly."

She rested her head on Akashi's shoulder. "You know, I should have made you one of my bridesmaids."

"...But I'm a man?"

"So? I made Tetsuya one of them."

"Eh? He is?"  _How did he end up agreeing to that?_

They sat in silence for a bit, until Kuroko came for her. Then it was just Akashi. He had to get up, because the ceremony was going to begin soon, but he was somehow afraid to send his friend off to marriage.

Just then, a small man with grizzly hazel-brown hair and beady eyes rushed by, heading for the ceremony. Akashi found his appearance child-like and endearing. The man stopped as he spotted Akashi. "Hey. The ceremony's going to start. You're the best man, right? You should go."

"I will...Wait, actually, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"How would you feel if your best friend got married?"

"Happy, I guess."

"I _am_ happy for them. I am. I just feel like they're slipping through my fingers. And here I am, still alone."

"Right..."

Akashi stood up. "I'm sorry. We're strangers, and yet I'm telling you all of this. Let's go."

At first, Furi didn't know how to respond, but then he looked at Akashi, and looked at himself. He didn't say this, but he did believe that everything happened for a reason. "No, wait. You never know when you're going to meet someone, or how,"—he smiled—"so what if the person you're looking for...is here?"


End file.
